Eleven Reasons To Live
by Kawi Leonard
Summary: Sollux and Eridan have a strange relationship, and Sollux thinks they have all the time in the world to make it work. But when time is snatched away from you, you have to do you best to find reasons to live, even if the end is near. R&R, Erisol, smut!


**Eridan: Wake up.**

Eridan Ampora was bored.

Rolling to his side, he blinked his eyes once, twisting his vision to glance at the window on his left side. Deep, purple curtains shrouded his view, but a long, slim crack in the middle of them permitted him a small insight of the light outside.

From what he could tell, it was not yet time to consider it morning. Light filtered through gently, filling his room with a slight glow, but alas, it was not yet enough.

He rolled over again, his back to the window. His mind began to race as he remembered the dream that had caused him so much distress. He had been plagued by nightmares and such from a very young age, although there had never really been a reason given for it. Some people argued his over-dramatic nature for it, but honestly, he just did his best to forget about it. Everything in the dream felt real, lucid… But when he woke it felt like he could barely reach out and grasp it in his hands, all that remained was a few torn fragments.

He closed his eyes and brought his hands up to his temples, rubbing small half-circles in an attempt to calm himself.

Reaching out blindly, he let his palm rest on the cool wood of his bed side table briefly, before groping around with no real direction, feeling for his phone. Stretching out his fingers to their limit, he breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt them bump against something solid. Wrapping his hand around it, he brought it towards him, rolling onto his back and holding it above his chest, flicking the 'lock' button on the side, waiting for the screen to brighten.

Once it had, he unlocked it swiftly, blinking with slight surprise when he saw he had a message awaiting him. Reaching up and wrapping a strand of hair around one of his ears to avoid it from flopping down onto his face, he tapped the screen once to open it, typing in his password and letting his eyes scan the text.

'_Goodniight, text me tomorrow.' _

Glancing at the time it had been sent, he realised with a sigh that this text had been received last night, and he must have fallen asleep before he could answer it. Guilt prickled him lightly, but he smoothed his feelings over by telling himself he probably wouldn't have replied to it, even if he was awake.

Sollux Captor and Eridan Ampora had a strange relationship.

If they could even call it that. It was more of a... flirtationship. He'd heard that term tossed around a lot and honestly it was the best way to describe it. They were no way in a physical relationship of any sort, but they're also weren't _just _friends.

Eridan sighed.

Tapping his fingers to reply, he typed as quickly as he could.

'_Here, I'm textin you tomorroww, you awwake yet?'_

He read the text through a few times, smiling lightly at his doubled letters. He and Sollux had decided to use some sort of system so they knew for sure who they were talking to. It seemed silly, as no one had much interest in stealing either of their phones, but Eridan liked it. It was their thing.

And Eridan Ampora was a sucker for affectionate titbits.

Placing his phone down beside him, he realised he had no chance of falling back asleep. Kicking off his covers, he ran his fingers through his hair, rolling his shoulder blades and pulling himself into a sitting position. His body ached and screamed in protest as he stretched each limb in turn, before swinging his legs off the side of the side of the bed, putting his face in his hands and awaiting the small vibration.

And it came.

His hand shot out behind him instantly and grabbed his phone, bringing it towards him. He unlocked it once more and scanned the message.

'_No, II've learnt to text iin my 2leep.'_

A large grin spread across Eridans face, and he replied instantly.

'_Don't fuckin start noww, I'm glad you're awwake, I'm bored as fuck.'_

Sollux texted back instantly.

'_What do you want me to do about iit? II'm 2tiill layiing iin bed man.'_

'_Then get the fuck up. Today could just be the only fuckin day it hasn't rained. Wwe're doing somethin.'_

'_Liike what? II don't have much money man.'_

'_Wwe don't need money. Howw about wwe go to the beach or somethin ?'_

Sollux didn't reply instantly.

Eridan tapped his phone a few times, before throwing it down beside him, finally getting onto two legs and stretching, listening to his bones crack, although he had all his attention registered on listening out for the small vibration he so eagerly wanted.

Taking a few baby steps forward, he waited out the slight head-rush that picked at his head gently, before staggering towards his wardrobe, gripping the door until his knuckles whitened, a massive yawn wracking his body. His world seemed to spin briefly, and before he knew it, he had opened up his wardrobe and was pawing through the sets of clothes that hung in neat rows.

He froze in place as he heard his phone vibrate, and a small smirk played on his lips. But he didn't move to reach it, forcing himself to continue looking through his clothes. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for, mostly because he was rushing just so he could get back to his phone, but he eventually pulled out a pair of ocean blue skinny jeans, and a deep purple shirt. Instead of getting changed immediately, however, he tossed them on his bed, unable to resist the temptation of the text any longer. Striding across the room, now more sure of his steps, he swept up the phone, scanning the text.

'_II don't know man. II don't really liike, you know, people.'_

Eridan sighed in frustration. Sollux had always been anti-social, as was really expected of a 20 year old guy who wore blue and red glasses and spent most of his time coding and hacking for no real reason. Eridan had done his best to try and kick the behaviour in the head, and introduce Sollux to the outside world again, but it was tiring to say the least, and took up a lot of time. It was like arguing with a brick wall sometimes.

None-the-less, he texted back in record time.

'_Oh for fuck sake, I honestly could not give twwo fuckin shits about howw you're afraid of the sunlight. Wwe're going out today. Come to my apartment as soon as you're ready.'_

Tossing his phone back down carelessly, it fell with a slight bump. But Eridan didn't really pay much attention to where it landed, he knew Sollux wouldn't text back; he'd probably sulk and swear until he finally dragged his ass up the flight of stairs and miserably knocked on his door. Grabbing his jeans in his hands, he shrugged them on, stumbling around his room madly as he tried to get them comfortable. With a huff, he had to acknowledge he wasn't as skinny as he used to be. Half of him had expected to suddenly develop a mature and masculine body as he turned twenty, but he was left disappointed. He had filled out a bit, but his stomach was still a little too thin to be considered 'flat' and to be quite honest, he still felt like a long-limbed gangly teenager.

Talking a few steps towards the full-length body mirror that stood guard beside his window, he examined himself in it, running his hand over his stomach and up to his shoulder, before resting it in the crook of his collarbone, scratching absentmindedly at his neck. His ran his eyes up his body, smiling lightly at what he saw. He wasn't plagued by insecurities like most of the people he knew were. His skin was lightly tanned, not ghostly pale like someone like Sollux, and the only flaws he could pick out were a few scars that ran across his stomach, in a short, vine-like pattern. They had bothered him once, but over time they had faded into almost nothingness, to the point of not even being noticeable anymore. He could only barely pick them out now because he knew exactly where to look…

The scars had no real origin, or not one he could place. He'd obtained them one night when he was very young, and if he strained his mind he could pick out a few old memories of being rushed into an emergency room in his mother's arms, although that was the clearest part he could remember. It was really just a rush of screaming and crying and red lights and white rooms. He vaguely remembered his mother getting questioned, and he realised now the doctors probably suspected that she was responsible. There was no conclusion to his injuries. The best they could come up with was a reaction to a washing powder, or an infected bug bite, or him scratching himself a little too hard.

His mother had made him cut his nails ever since.

His hand ghosted over the scars, and as they did he was hit with a sudden memory. A sense of fear stabbed at him and he pushed it away involuntarily. His breath seemed to catch in his throat and he fought to keep his mind even, wrenching his hand away from his stomach and falling backwards. His knees hit the back of his bed and he let himself fall, his head spinning.

He blinked a couple of times, the world slowly coming back to him. He twisted himself to glare down at his stomach, confusion churning in him. He'd never had such a reaction to the marks. He often felt sick or wary if he touched them or studied them too long, but it felt like someone had just grabbed him and yanked him backwards, dragging him away from his thought tract.

He breathed in.

He breathed out.

He stood up once more.

Snatching up his shirt he had just narrowly missed falling on, he shrugged it on. The lines that marred him stomach obviously held some deep-seated mystery, but it was hardly time enough to discover what they hid, and Eridan didn't really have the energy to try to figure them out anyway.

Pushing his hand against his door, it slid forward with ease, and he stepped out of his bedroom.

Despite the fact his bedroom was a very large and luxurious place; the rest of his apartment was strangely cramped.

Once Eridan had stepped from his bedroom, he was confronted with a small hallway. At the end of it was his front door, and to the either side of the door branched two more rooms – A spare bedroom, and the bathroom. And to his immediate left was another short hallway which ended in a large living room, with a tiny kitchen attached to the end of it.

He'd done his best with what he was given. The entire place had a plush purple carpet which was spotless and almost gleamingly clean, and the walls were a pearly white. He had always dreamed of having a massive house with all sorts of decorations, but as he began to age he realised that he didn't really care where he lived, it was more of a matter of _who _he was near, and if he was allowed pets.

Ah, yes, pets.

When he was younger, Eridan had always fancied the idea of owning fish. He adored every single part of them, and had pestered both his mother and father to get him his own tank. While his mother was happy to agree, his Father took a more negative view on the whole situation. He pointed out dryly that fish gave nothing back; they eat a lot and swim a lot, and that was pretty much it. And when Eridan had tried to argue his defence, he had been silenced by his father shoving him into a car, and driving him to the nearest pet shop. Eridan had bounced up and down in his seat the entire way there, excited with the sudden prospect of getting his own pet.

Of course, he didn't get what he wanted.

Almost an hour later he walked out the pet shop with a Merle Blue Border Collie cuddled tightly in his arms. He was so excited of finally having something to hold, and a gift from his very non-affection father, he had almost forgotten that he had longed for fish only a few minutes before.

He dubbed the pup Ivy and it held his interest for a few weeks. But over time, his attention span wavered and the dog got less and less attention, becoming more of a family pet more than anything. And as Eridan began to grow and age himself, he had no real personal bond with the dog which was still the only gift his father had ever given him. But when it came to moving out, Ivy was suddenly thrust upon his possession again, and he'd taken her with a bit of a grumble.

Over the time of living together, he'd grown a little closer to Ivy, but he still had no real interest in her. He fed her and walked her, and brought her toys… But she was simply just an old dog that was slowly becoming part of the furniture.

Making his way to the hallway, he felt his heart skip the slightest of beat as he stole a glance at the front door, vaguely wondering how long he'd have to wait to hear the familiar rapping, signifying Sollux arrival.

Anger rose in him slightly and irritation prickled at him at how silly he was being, and he swung his head back around, making his way towards the front room. Covering the hallway in a few strides of his long legs, he flicked on his rather old and bulky TV with a tap of his finger against the protruding button, before lounging on his sofa.

* * *

**Sollux: Bitch, whine, and attempt to swallow social anxiety.**

"Rude, idiot." He spat to himself. "Stupid, obnoxious hipster. Always demanding. Thinking everyone is just going to come to his call instantly."

"Isn't that exactly what you're doing, tho?"

"Shut up Karkat. I thought you were going home anyway?"

Karkat snorted, appearing in the doorway. "I told you, I don't have a damn home. Mum kicked me out last night."

"Go to Tavros, or Equius. Even fucking Nepeta. Anywhere but here."

"Don't be such a fucking douche, I'm not doing any harm being here, Sollux!"

Sollux exhaled, biting down on his gum to avoid the anger that pulsed through him. He threw his phone down on his bed in a rage, sitting beside it and violently dragging his shoes to his feet.

"Yes, I'm going to see him." He finally sighed. "I don't see why you have such a problem with that, Karkat. He'th a good friend."

Karkat cocked an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe, blocking Solluxs exit.

"Don't act like I can't hear you stupid little fucking lisp, you idiot. We both know he's not just a friend. And he knows it as well. Why can't you two just fuck and get it other with? I've been here for one fucking night and I can almost taste your erection every time you get a text from him from the other room!"

"Don't call my lisp fucking stupid!" Sollux hissed, giving his laces a hard tug and finally standing. "He'th jutht a friend, thtop being tho nosy!" He let out a snarl as he heard his own lisp, a tell-tale sign of him being untruthful. He'd never had a problem with it, until, of course, he told a lie... or a not so complete truth. It emerged in full force and he _hated _it.

"Whatever." Karkat snorted, moving away from the doorframe and moving straight towards the kitchen. Sollux snorted and glared after him, able to track his movements perfectly, due to the shape of his apartment. It was literally a square box with a few rooms coming off each side. This meant there was literally no privacy at all. Everyone could see anyone at all times.

"Don't you dare eat all of my fucking food!" Sollux called to him, heading towards the door. "And work on finding somewhere to live!"

Grabbing the front door, he caught it in his grasp and wrenching it open, stepping into the cold breeze which whisked around his apartments staircase. Slamming the door behind him, he took a few seconds to catch his breath, trying to push away his anger. The rage left him slowly, and excitement filled him slightly at the idea of spending the day with Eridan.

Slightly.

He let his eyes slip close and let his thoughts become dominated by his little hipster… _friend._

Friend? Was that really the right word? Sollux didn't know… Sollux never bothered to give it much thought.

He was scared too.

Eridan was handsome and strong. Tall and protective. He was also a stupid fucking hipster douchebag who through the entire world revolved around him, and felt like everyone should be kiss-cleaning his shoes, and he pissed away money like he could shit it out.

Sollux felt a slight headache prickle at his temple, but he did his best to ignore it.

Sollux enjoyed spending time with Eridan… sort of. They had a laugh and got on with each other very easily. Albeit with a couple of fights every few seconds. But still.

And Sollux couldn't ignore the way he caught Eridan looking at him sometimes.

And he was sure Eridan couldn't ignore the way he caught himself looking at that stupid hipster sometimes.

Sollux sighed.

Relationships were complicated. Overly so. So _maybe _Sollux liked Eridan. What wasn't there to like? But at the same time, Relationships brought nothing but pain and hurt, betrayal and stress. What was the real point to them?

Sollux sighed again, opening his eyes. One day, maybe he and Eridan would be in a relationship. He just preferred to not to think about how that would really come about. It would happen, and that was all there was to it.

After all, they had all the time in the world.

Sollux took off at a steady pace, clearing his head and making his way towards Eridans apartment. It was almost directly above his place, although the layouts were different. Eridans used to be the very top of the building, until they had decided one more level, and Sollux had snapped up a place instantly. The building looked somewhat lopsided, but it did the job.

Dragging his feet on the staircase one by one, Sollux fought almost violently to crush and rid himself of the smile that tugged at his lips every now and then, and he ended up biting down on them, drawing a small pin-prick of blood.

When he finally arrived, he rapped the door once with his knuckle, before shoving both his hands into his pockets, almost glaring at the ground, social anxiety threatening to take him over. He suddenly felt very self-conscious. He stole a glance at his shoes- black and white converses- and suddenly felt a prick of regret at his choice. He'd always worn them, of course. But he wondered how other people must see them, like some tramp that couldn't afford two of the same shoe. He pulled at long-sleeved black and yellow stripped top, the tip of the sleeve that rested just over his hand frayed and worn, fighting back the urge to go back and get changed…

"Are you just goin' to stand there like a fuckin' idiot, or are you goin' to come in?"

Sollux jumped almost violently as he looked up, meeting Eridans almost blue eyes with a startled hiss. He took a step back, trying not to act surprised.

"No need to fucking snap at me." He spat back, although he couldn't help but withdraw some malice from his tone, a fluttering feeling of affection building in his chest. "And yes, I'm going to come in. Unless you have a problem with that?"

Eridan raked his eyes up and down Sollux, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips. Sollux found himself biting down on his bottom lip again, anger rising in his chest as he was examined.

"I have no problem, Sol." He winked. "Don't keep me waitin', however." Without another word, he spun around, making his way through his narrow corridor, and taking a turn towards his front room.

"I thought we were going out!" Sollux called out, and he felt nervous suddenly, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. He waited for Eridan to shout back, and when he was given no response, he sort of awkwardly stood in the corridor, unsure of what to do next. He glanced around, and finding nothing of interest, he decided to say fuck it, and he followed Eridan, pushing the anxiety in his chest.

"What the fuck were you doin' in my hallway, Captor?" Eridan called lazily, and when Sollux entered the front room he realised the purple prince was curled up on his sofa, hugging a purple pillow to his chest as he flicked through channels. "Is my house really that interestin'? You better not of damaged anythin'."

Sollux snorted, sitting on the edge of the sofa, just next to Eridans feet.

"I didn't break anything, Jesus. I just… felt awkward. I guess." He shrugged, hunching over slightly and turning his gaze towards the ever-changing TV. "What are you looking for?" He made conversation lightly, flinching slightly as he felt Eridans toes gently press against his thigh.

"I'm not." Eridan replied easily. "Besides, there's nothin' on this stupid television that could hold my attention for long. All these programmes are full of unintelligible fools who can't act, nor present to save their damn lives. It's like they've all just walked onto set, shoved lines in their faces, and blabbered their way through the entire thin'!"

Sollux snorted with amusement at Eridans little rant. Of course, the purple prince thought everyone was below him. Because Ampora was so dam _royal. _The way he talked almost gave Sollux a headache, saying each long word with a unique flourish, as if he was gracing the words and giving them a gift by letting them dance from his tongue. The way he moved his hands in gestures that made him look like he was _allowing _you to listen to him, and that you should be _grate-.._

Suddenly, Sollux became the Purple Queens new pillow.

His thought tract was interrupted as he felt Eridans arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him back, and before he knew it, his back was against Eridans chest, and Eridan was holding him close like a pillow.

"What are you doing?" Sollux hissed out, trying to fight his restraints, panic coursing through him. Eridan didn't respond, but his arms seemed to grow tighter. "Answer me, you fucking arrogant prick!" He fought harder, and Eridan sighed deeply, his arms loosening. Sollux fought his way free, but found himself still sitting, not really wanting to move.

"Sorry." Eridan grumbled moodily. "I was just jokin' around. You don't have to overreact."

Overreact? Yeah, he was the one overreacting, being randomly grabbed from behind and used as a pillow.

Sollux grunted, unable to voice his irritation, turning towards the TV and watching it blankly. Eridan huffed, doing the same, although neither of the moved from their positions. Eridan leaned back a bit more, his back pressed into the back of the sofa, but he still sat up straight, his arms laying at his sides, a few of his fingers twitching. His legs were spread apart enough for Sollux to sit between them, although there was no contact.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a while, before Sollux let out a loud sigh, leaning forward and placing his head in his palms, biting down on the skin of his hand, trying to smother the emotions that rose in his chest like waves.

He heard Eridan make a small noise of curiosity, but he ignored the purple bitch for a while, his thoughts running wild.

His body ached with the urge to just lean back and let he sink into Eridans chest. To bring his knees up and hold them against his chest, twisting slightly so he could cuddle into Eridan. He'd reach out and hold the purple bitch's arm like a small child holding a stuffed animal, and let his eyes slip shut. Eridans arms would slip around him and hold him close, his fingers stroking small circles on wherever they happened to be, and Sollux would let a rumbling purr grow in his throat…

But, of course, he did nothing but sit rigidly and think.

He was -almost– sitting in the lap of one of his good… _friends._

His good _friend _was quite attractive, to say the least.

His good _friend _had performed an affectionate gesture out of the blue, something that Sollux never really had bestowed onto him.

So why was Sollux rejecting his good _friend?_

"Sollux, will you please say somethin'?" Eridan began. "Fuckin' hell. I mean, you're just makin' me sit here like a right idiot. I don't know what to say. If I say sorry you'll probably flip so I guess all I can do is just sit and say nothin', but I'm talkin' now so I guess that's out the window, it'll be so much easier if you just opened your mouth an-.."

Sollux suddenly stood, pushing away any thoughts of decision making.

"You still want to go to the beach?"

He twisted around to gauge Eridans reaction. He seemed to stare at Sollux with confusion, before nodding curtly and standing.

"That was the plan." He responded, nudging Sollux out the way so he could get past. "D'you wanna take my car, or yours?"

"Yours." Sollux waved his hand. "I can't be bothered to drive."

* * *

**Eridan: Attempt to drive to the beach.**

There's no rest for the wicked.

And there's certainly no rest for two teenage boys in a car driving to the beach, either.

It didn't take them long for them to reach the car, and in a few moments they were off, driving in the general direction of the beach. Sollux stared at the window lazily, while Eridan did his best to concentrate on the road.

"Sol, don't fuckin' do that."

Eridan spared a glance at Sollux and narrowed his eyes as he looked back with confusion.

"I'm not doing anything."

"Get your fuckin' feet down. This is my car."

Sollux seemed to smirk and a prick of anger picked at Eridan. Sollux lifted his feet as if to move them, but instead he just stretched out further, pressing the soles of his feet against the glass.

"You are the most fuckin' rude individual I have ever had the disgrace to fuckin' meet, you know that Sol?" Eridan grumbled, putting most of his anger in his driving, his car picking up speed.

Sollux yawned, turning back his gaze to stare out the window again.

"Shut up and drive, you moaning bastard."

Eridan let out a hiss of frustration, but did just that. He swung his head back around to stare directly forward, keeping his eyes on the road.

But he couldn't ignore the fluttering's of affectionate he felt in his chest for the obnoxious fucking jackass seated next to him.

He smiled briefly, and was pleased that Sollux wasn't looking at him to catch him brief moment of joy.

The beach came into view soon enough, and Eridan swerved his car to turn into a small car park, pulling up in the furthest corner possible. It was times like this he was quite pleased he lived on a small tourist island; it had its benefits, even if that benefit was just a slower walk down to the beach.

"We're here." He announced, flicking his seatbelt off him and opening his door, climbing out. With a flash of confidence, he closed his door behind him and made his way around the front of the car, reaching out and grasping the handle of Solluxs door and holding it out for me.

"Think I can't open a door properly, Ampora?" Sollux pointed out snarkly, not moving. He looked ahead of him with a blank look on his face, and with a jolt, Eridan realised he looked _embarrassed._

"I'm just openin' it for you." He explained, glaring at him, slightly offended that he was rejecting his gesture. "It's called bein' nice, I know you're not used to that."

Sollux lazily turned his head, but he avoided Eridans eyes. He appeared to be staring directly over his shoulder.

"Whatever. I don't need you to be nice to me."

Eridan physically flinched away, rejection and hurt spitting at him as his hand numbly dropped from the door, hanging by his side. His stomach churned and he took a step back, looking away as Sollux heaved himself from the car, slamming the door behind him and shoving his hands in his pockets, making his way towards the beach. Eridan watched him jump over a small fence that ran around the perimeter of the car park, and although his feet ached to move after him, he remained rooted to the spot.

His hand still hung limply at his side, and rage and anger and hurt coursed through him, crashing through his stomach like a tidal wave.

He stole a glance at the sea, and he noticed it was rather choppy today. He smiled grimly.

He did his fucking best to please that lower class peasant. He invited him out and brought him food and pampered him, spent his dwindling money on an abundance of presents, called him and texted him and was there and he just wanted to just fucking…

He brought his hands up to his face briefly, nestling into them, letting his eyes slide shut, allowing his mind to get a moment of peace, humming lightly in his chest.

But his humming didn't last long.

Something inside Eridan broke.

With a hiss, he clenched his hands to fists and brought them back down, sending a daggered glare towards Solluxs back, a string of profanities bubbling up his lips, but all that was audible was a very quiet snarl that rumbled in Eridans chest.

He was done. He was fucking done. He was done giving things to people that didn't want them.

A maniac smile stretched on his face, and he ran his tongue along his teeth, his face resembling a shark that'd just smelt blood.

He was fucking done.

* * *

**Sollux: Play with pebbles, like a real man.**

Sollux sat himself down a small mound of pebbles that some kids had probably put together and sighed heavily, patiently awaiting his purple bitch to join him, smoothing the ground next to him for him. His sigh trailed off into a slight hum, and he left a small rhythm leave him, aimlessly playing with a few stones in his hands, flipping them over and rubbing his thump over them, throwing a few a little way away and picking up more.

It was a good distraction.

His mind briefly flickered back to car door incident and he inwardly cringed.

His heart had skipped a beat when he'd turn and saw Eridan holding the door for him. A flash of affectionate had snarled through him, and he _hated _himself for it. He hated how he was being treated like a child, he hated how he was being taken care of, he hated hated hated hated hated..

He exhaled, his rhythm dying off with a low tone.

But most of all he hated how he loved what Eridan did for him. He hated how he didn't need to be taken care, but he hated how he longed for it even more.

"Fuck." He hissed outloud.

He'd been embarrassed, not because it was _Eridan. _But because he was fucking social dipshit. He didn't know how to respond to such a nice gesture, so all he could do was glare and act all angry and defensive and just…

He shook his head, telling himself he'd make it up to Eridan somehow.

After all, he had all the time in the world.

* * *

"I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO FUCKIN' COME ANYWAY!"

"FUNNY, THAT'S WHY YOU FUCKING INVITED ME, WASN'T IT, ED?"

Sollux shoved his way out the car, slamming the door behind him and striding towards Eridan with a violent snarl etched on his face.

"YOU FUCKIN' RUIN EVERYTHIN', YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKIN' IDIOT, AND IT DOES MY HEAD IN SOL!" He glared with an equal amount of venom in his eyes.

Sollux found himself staggering back, confusion whirling in him.

Why was Eridan looking so angry?

They fought all the time, and this was like no other. They'd had a spat at the beach after Eridans shirt had gotten a little wet, and everything seemed to of gone downhill. The purple bitch had stormed back to his car and Sollux had no choice but to follow, yelling out for him to calm the fuck down and trying to keep up with the taller man's strides.

None the less, Eridan had jumped in his car and started it up, but he still waited for Sollux to buckle himself in before his angry drive home.

And then he'd started shouting.

"I DON'T KNOW WHY I FUCKIN' BOTHER WITH YOU!" Eridan was still shouting, striding angrily closer to Sollux, shoving his face into his. "DO I MEAN NOTHIN' TO YOU? DO I REALLY MEAN SO FUCKIN' LITTLE TO YOU THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST PUSH ME AWAY WHENEVER YOU LIKE?"

Sollux opened his mouth to respond, but he was swiftly cut across.

"I'M DONE WITH YOU!" His spat through his teeth, his eyebrows pulled together, his very being leaking with pure rage. His voice dropped into a whisper.

But that didn't make anything better, that made things _worse._

"I'm done." He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes briefly. "You don't appreciate me. And I'm tired of tryin' with you."

"Erida-.." Sollux began.

"Goodnight."

Sollux stared helplessly as Eridan stormed away, slamming the door to their apartment building with enough force to make the, whatever-the-fuck it was made of, squeak loudly in protest.

"Eridan." Sollux whispered moodily, curling his hands into a fist. "Fucking Eri-dickhead."

Sollux felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and he wretched it out angrily, bringing it close to his face as he opened the message.

_fuck you ok? You wwouldn't evven care If I died. So don't bother crawwling back to me this time._

He jaw slacked and he saw red, a boiling sweat overtook him and shook him to his core, his hands starting to tremble. Eridan was such a fucking pathetic dick head; he had to get the last word by a text. Fury filled Sollux, and he angrily responded.

_no ED ii would not care iif you diied, 2o don't even bother fuckiing texting me you drama cunt._

With an angry snarl, he shoved the phone back into his pocket, storming up to his apartment.

* * *

**Sollux:Dream.**

Sollux was vaguely aware that he was dreaming.

It wasn't really that much of a surprise. His head pounded and ached, and every inch of his skin felt clammy and tight. He twisted his body in attempt to relieve some of his discomfort, but if anything, it increased.

With a jolt, he realised his eyes were closed. He let them slip open, light filtering in his vision slowly, some parts more blurry that the other.

"Welcome, Sollux."

His body leapt at the sound, and he twisted towards it, his vision still not clear enough to make out any real clear shape.

"Who are you?" He hissed into the darkness. The voice originated from a shady corner that seemed to pulse with energy.

If possible, the shapeless voice seemed to shift, a low, vibrating chuckle cutting through the air.

"I have no name, I merely collect them."

It laughed again, as if sharing an inside joke with itself. Sollux paid it no attention, twisting around and groping around to try and find a way out.

"You remember the accident that happened almost 3 years ago, don't you?"

Sollux froze, a cold sweat coming over him. Of course he fucking remembered.

Himself, Eridan, and their mutual friends Aradia and Feferi had all gone out for the night. They'd visited a small pub and had a few drinks, before moving onto a more rave like atmosphere as the sky darkened. It was nothing more than a teenage night out, and Eridan had stayed sober so he could drive them home.

Apparently, he wasn't sober enough.

Eridan has screamed and shouted at the three of them, demanding to go home. His pupils were large and his jaw slacked, his attention constantly flickering to another thing, but his voice was loud enough to be heard over the booming bass that rocked the club.

Sollux had laughed at him, too naïve to understand he had probably taken something. He'd waved his hand in dismissal and told him to just 'Fuck off if you're going to ruin the entire night.' Before wandering back to have his way with Aradia, paying his friend no attention.

Guilt began to replace the blood that ran through his veins as Sollux let his memory continue to unfold itself.

Eridan had indeed, fucked off, although Sollux was sure he it wasn't just because he didn't want to ruin their night. He had climbed into his car without another word and drove off, seemingly peacefully.

But ended up in hospital.

He'd collided on a motorway with a stationary vehicle that some other drunkard had decided to leave.

And he'd escaped without so much more of a scratch.

The doctors had claimed that he must have slowed down to such a speed that when he'd collided, there was no way to deal too much damage to himself, but at the same time, he was very lucky.

Sollux had wanted to curl up and die from the guilt that told him that his friend could have died, and he'd been too drunk to care. Even after his friend had sacrificed having a good night out and staying sober to get them home.

"I can hear your thoughts, small one. You remember very clearly. You blame yourself."

Sollux felt himself nod, too wrapped up in guilt and shame and pain to really realise what was going on.

The shadowed corner seemed to twist, a few dark and shadowy tentacle like forms bulging from it, pulsing in a sick, strange rhythm.

"It was a miracle that he survived that night. As you know. He did not slow down. He hit at full speed. Something saved him."

Sollux didn't answer, couldn't answer.

"Something has now decided to retract its offer of saving."

Sollux snapped his head up.

"That doethn't make thenthe." He hissed out, his fear and shame bringing forth his lisp. He bit down on his lip, but didn't put hardly any pressure on it.

"Oh, but it does. You see, small one, a form, an entity, if you wish, can sacrifice its life to save one in the waking world, your world. Every living person has its own mirrored image of itself, and it stays awake and moves around when one sleeps. However, most are unaware of these, and never get in contact with them. There're easier to understand if I call them 'Dream Selves.' But you see these dream beings are aware of _your _world, even if you are not aware of theirs. Therefore, they can make strong connections and even experience feelings towards people they don't even know to exist. If that makes sense."

Sollux nodded. Too shocked to respond.

"A rather powerful entity, something you may call a spirit, took a liking to Eridan. It was the mirror of a girl called Feferi. She sacrificed her dream self's life, in order to make him survive that accident. But she's not _really _dead. No, spirits don't die. She just ceased to exist to the smallest degree. But at that degree, you have the ability to see the past, present and future, in any which way you choose. I'm sorry if I'm rambling, boy, but it'll all be important soon."

Sollux nodded.

"Apparently she's looked into Eridans future, and doesn't like what she's found. So she's retracting her offer of saving his life, and coming back to life in her dream self."

"Can they do that?" Sollux croaked out, a cold bucket of dread pouring over him.

"Of course they can, and she has."

"What does that mean?"

The voice sighed, the tone growing softer.

"I'm afraid, Sollux, your Eridan, is going to die."

Sollux legs buckled beneath him, and his jaw slackened and he let loose a dull and monotone snarl, rage and fury swelling in his chest, confusion and fear clouding his mind. His eyes flashed red, then white, then grey, a chilling numbness coming over him.

"Why don't you tell him this?" He wished his voice would be calm, but it cracked and fluctuated in many places.

"We've tried, we've tried. We've contacted Eridan once before, when he was younger, but he lashed out at us and we were forced to injure him to subdue him, he still carries the scar. It's a vine like shape on his stomach. You can even ask him to see it, if you do not believe this is real. But he's blocked his mind to us, and we can't get it. Besides, Sollux, you can't tell him."

"What'd you mean, I can't tell him?" Sollux spat out, wrenching his head up to snarl at the shadows. "He's going to DIE! He deserves to know!"

The shadow sighed, and its tone seemed to turn sad, almost… regretful?

"We wish you could, but unfortunately you can't. If he is told of his fate, you will anger the spirits that strive to keep your world in order, and both of you will be slaughtered."

Sollux gripped at his hair, pulling at a few tufts, biting down his lip to avoid the spilling rage that threatened to burst from him like an angry beast.

"How long does he have left?"

"Eleven days..." The shadow confirmed. "Starting from tomorrow, eleven days. Then fate catches up with him."

Sollux felt an angry, strangled sob rear and spit out of his throat, and he didn't repress it, letting his body give into the shaking fear and angry that threatened to overtake and ruin him.

"We're sorry." The shadow sighed. "We're sorry, but that's all there is too say."

Sollux didn't hear it. He didn't hear anything. He didn't feel how the shadow gently crept underneath him and lifted him, carrying up, and up, and up, until he felt a cool breeze touch his face. The air around him seemed to grow thick and plush, and he felt resistant when he twisted his limbs, and he realised his eyes had closed at some point, and he let them slide open.

And he realised he was staring at his pillow.

And he realised his phone was in his hand.

And he remembered the fight with Eridan and how he'd always thought they'd had all the time in the world with each other.

He remembered how Eridan hated him now.

He remembered how they'd didn't have all the time in the world.

He remembered how they had eleven days.

And most of all, he remembered the last thing he'd sent to Eridan.

'_no ED ii would not care if you died, 2o don't even bother fuckiing texting me you drama cunt.'_


End file.
